Mail handling apparatus



Dec. 26, 1933. A. F. MARTEL 1,941,015

MAIL HANDLING APPARATU S Filed June 21, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. I. I

l8 l3 7 24 l5 6 w I II ,x 9 7 I v I0 I X 5 F IG. 3.

? FIG. 7

INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

ADELARD F. MART EL Dec. 26, 1933. A. F. MARTEL 1,941,015

MAIL HANDLING APPARATUS Filed June 21, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNE Y.

ADELARD F. MART L Patented Dec. 26, 19 33 I v t v a t I UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE Adelard F. Martel. .San Mateo, Calif., assignor of I one-half to George W. Gates, Burlingame, Calif. f Y

- Application June'21 ,1932. serial No. 618,499 3 Claims. ,(01. 25 8 -1) This invention relates to improvements in mail The opposite ends of the rails are supported on handling apparatus and more particularly to airthe posts -f14 and terminate adjacent-the replane loading and unloading means. stricted opening 5 therebetween, leading into the The principal object of. the invention is to tapering throat 6 cut in the carrier disk 7. The

5 pick up and discharge articles from air craft flange 8 depends from the periphery of {the disk 0 while in flight. v '7 and has the'slots 9 -9 cut therethroug'h lateral- Another object is to speed up the air service by 1y to the throat 6. 1' eliminating the time loss occasioned by landing The bracket 10"has the upstandingarcuate' the air craft to receive and discharge its load flange l1 thereon and is pivoted at 12 'on the 19 of mail, merchandise, fuel, etc; base 13 mounted at some distance from the 5 Another object is to automatically exchange ground on topof the rigid pole 14. The interthe incoming and outgoing portions of the load spaced pins '1515 are mounted in the flange simultaneously. a j 11 and project laterally therefrom and are adapt- Another object is to minimize the necessary ed to engage through the slots 99 t'o detachably- V 5 maneuvering of the air craft in receiving and mount the carrier disk 7 on thebracket 10. V

discharging its load. The outgoing mail bags a: have the rings :r'

,A further object is to render the apparatus closing their'necks and are adapted to be hung simple and inexpensive in construction and reon the hooks l7-17 fixed to the flange -8 of the liable and safe in operation. disk 7 at intervals. The flat springs 18 areflxed 29 Other objects and advantages will appear as to the t p1 t e d 7 an expand against the the description progresses. ends of the hooks 17 to retain the rings :c' in In this speciflcation'and the accompanying place within the hooks. I 7 V drawings, the invention is disclosed in its pre-f The latch 19 extends across and closes the enferred form. It it, however, to be understood trance of the throat 6 and is pivoted onthe pin 25 that it is not limited to this form because it may 20 within the housing 16. The arm- 21 extends be embodied in other forms without departing angularly from the latch 19 and is urgedagainst from the spirit of the invention as defined in the the stop 22by the sprin'g23 encircling the pin 20 claims following the description. a and expanding betweenthe hou'sing 16 and the y In the accompanying two sheets of drawings: arm 21. The latch 19 thus'resiliently-swings 30 Fig. 1 is a plan view of an air mail loading inward-to admit the pick up'cable into the throat g5 apparatus constructed in accordance with this '6 but engages against the stop 22 to prevent its invention. v a a withdrawal.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same. j The bent over lug 24 is struck up from the end Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, looking fromof the throat 6 to present a smooth surfaceand 5 beneath, of the latch for attaching the carrier minimize chafing of the pick u cable. The cenof the outgoing mail bags to the pick up cable tral portion of the carrier is bulged upward formof the air craft. ing the spheroidal dome 7- to cooperate with the Fig. 4 is a horizontal section showing the mail "loading means as is :latermore. fully means by which the mail bag carrier is detachdescribed. Y a Q 40 ably mounted on its bracket before being picked The pick up cable 25 is'trailed from theair up by the pick up cable. craft, and has the'automaticreleasing apparatus a Fig. 5 isa side elevation' partly in vertical sec suspended from its lower end. This apparatus tion of the automatic mail releasing apparatus consists of the rod26 having the integral feyelet just before being engagedby the outgoing carrier. 2'7 provided at its upper; 'end to receive the 5 ,jFig. .6 is a fragmentary vertical section of the knotted endof the cable." dumping apparatus after the load has been dis- The lower end of the rod is bifurcated at 28 .chalgedand has the clamps 29, 30 pivoted therein on the Fig. 7 is an elevation view partially in vertical bolt 31.- If desired, the clamp 30 can beformed section of the resilient cushioning means interof] two congruent flat members pivoted on 'op- 5o posed in the pick up cable. p posite sides ofthe clamp 29 as shown at 32 to In detail, the construction illustrated in the insurethe properoperation ofthe clamps. In drawings, referring more particularly to Fig. -1, the closed position shown in Fig. 5 the jaws 33, 34 comprises the angularly disposed guide rails 1-1 of these clamps overlap' eachother to securely having their outer ends mounted at the. tops of grip the ring y havingthe mail bags y suspended the posts 22 and suitably braced thereto at 3. therefrom.

lows: The mailbags y-are suspended on the ring spectively.

The latch arms 36, 37 extend upwardly from the clamps 29,30 and have the undercut notches 38, 39 therein near their upper ends. The sleeve 40 encircles the central portion of the rod 26 and has the vertical slots 41, 42 therethrough on opposite sides near its lower end. The lower edges of the slots are arranged to engage under the notches 38, 39 in the latch arms to lock the clamp in closed position. The rod 26 has the transverse slot 43 therethrough to receive the inwardly projecting ends of the latch arms when the clamp is in the closed position.

The pin 44 is fixed in the rod 26 and projects laterally therefrom through the .slot 45 in the sleeve 40. The spring 46 contracts between the pin 44 and the lug 4'7 struck outwardly from the sleeve 40 and urges the sleeve upwardsto, resiliently engage the ends of the slots 11,42 in the notches 3839 in the latch arms.

The spheroidaltrip .48 is rigidly mounted at the upper end of-thesleeve 40 and is adapted to engage under the dome '7 of the carrier disk-to operate the sleeve 40 as is later more completely described. The-lower end of, the sleeve 40 .is arranged in juxtaposition to the inclined edges 4950 to cooperate therewith to open the clamp whenthe-sleeve 401s operated. I}

The cushioning-of the pick up cable 25' is am complished by the helicalspring 51 enclosed within the cylinder 52. This spring expands betweenthe end of the cylinder'52 and the plunger 53 mounted-upon'the end of the rod 54. The

ends of the pick upcable 25-25" are fixed to the cylinder 51 and the end of the rod 54, re- Pressure exerted on the end 25" compresses the spring 52 before being transmitted tojthe opposite end 25' of the cable. 4 ,The; apparatus operates substantially as folg/held-irgthe clamp jaws 33, 34 andthe automatic mail bag dumping assembly is lowered from the airplaneat the end of the-cable 25. I airplane is then -maneuvered to enter the cable between the guide rails 11'. The cable travels in the direction of the arrow shown in l and is guided by the rails 1 into the entrance of the throat6. The latch 19 yields before theonconiing cable andgadmitsit intothe throat. When the cable passes the end ofilthe latch 19, the spring 23 snaps the latch back into operative position confining the cable against rebound in the throatfi between the lug '24; and the latch.

As:the cable advances against the-lug 24, the bracket loswings outwardon its pivot l2 and brings the retaining pins 15 'to a position to the rearwith respect to the direction of movement of the cable. The carrier disk]? then'disengag'es from the pins 15 and slides off the bracket re.

' Itwill be noted that disengagement of the disk 7 A cannot be accomplisheduntilthe bracket 10. is

swung outward to bring the pins into a position to the rear. This assures the cable :25 properly tripping the latch 19 and becoming engaged within the throat 6 before-the'carrier disk can be disengaged. y

The disk v-'7 descends on the cable 25 and snugly engages itsspheroidal dome '7 overthe rounded surface of the trip {i8 and the carrier main? .tained in substantially horizontal position thereon. The weight of the carrier 7 and the mail bagsa: attached thereto, depresses the'trip 48 and the sleeve 40 against the tension of the spring as. This removes the ends of the slots 41',-

42 from engagement with the notches in the latch arms 36, 37 and perrnits the weight of the mail bags 1,! to force open the clamp jaws 33, 3'4;

and drop therefrom to the ground.

The lowering of the sleeve 40 with respect to the re 26 advances its lower end" into contact with the inclined surfaces d950 as shown in 6. This positively insures the proper opening of the clamp jaws in the event of the weight of the mail bagsy being insufiicient to effect the stationare then placed in the clampjaws 3334 and the sleeve so is manually depressed and the notched latch arms 36, 37 reengaged in the slots l i2. .The apparatus is then lowered from the airplane and the operation repeated.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to'be secured'by Letters Pat entis: I

' 1. An' apparatus of the class described'compria' ing a stationary base, a carrier detachably mountedon said base and having an open throat therein, a cable adapted to'engage in said throat to pick up said carrier, means for guiding said cable into said throat, a latch mounted on said carrier and adapted to, confine the cable within said threat, a rod suspended from thelower end ofv said cable, a pair or clamp members pivoted at the lower end of said rod, notched lat-charms extending from said clamp'members, a sleeve slidably engaging said. rod and having slots therein adaptedto engage said latch arms, resilient means urging said slots into engagement with said latch arms, and a trip fixed to said sleeve and adapted to be impinged upon by said carrier to disengage said slots from said latch arms.

, 2. An apparatus of the class described comprise ing a stationary base, a bracket pivoted onsaid base, pins set'in said bracket, a flanged carrier detachably engaging said pins and having an open throat therein, a cable adapted to engage in said throat to'pick up said carrier, means for guiding said cable into said throat, a latch mounted on said carrier and adapted to confine the cable in said throat, a rod suspended from the lower end of said cable, a clamp mounted on said rod, a sleeve encircling said rod and arranged to latch said clampin closed position, and atrip mounted on said sleeve and adapted to be impinged .upon by said carrier to disengage said sleeve fromsaid clamp. f

An apparatus of the class described comprising a. stationary base; a carrier detachably mounted on said base and'having an open throat therein; a trailing cable adapted to engage ,in 3-,

said throat to pick up said carrier; a rod suspended from the lower end. of said cable; clamp members pivoted, on the lower 8116.03? said rod;

latch arrns extending from said clampmernbe'r's and having undercut notches therein; locking be impinged upon by said carrier to disengage said locking means frorn said latch arms.

ADELARD F. MARTEL. 

